Type-writing machine.



V. W. MIILBR.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLmATmN NLE swr. 1o, 190e 1,012,143, Patented nag. 19,1911.

2 SHEETS-saam 1`.

V. W. MILLER.

TYPE WRTING MAOEINE.

APPLmmIoH FILED SEPT. xo, 190s.

1,012,143. Patented Dec.19,1911A 2 BHHBTS- SHEET 2,

FI G, 5.

wuTNEfEIEE: INVENTDR! VM'M ,37 HvATTy mechanism into operation,

U N ITED STAlFiS 1 PATEN T OFFICE.

4 VERNE WAYMAN MILLER| OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA., ASSIGNOR TO THE MONARCH TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORI'TION 0F NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRITING' MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application led September 10, 1906. Serial No. 333,960.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VERNE MILLER, citizen `of the United States, and resident f Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful -Improvements -in TypellVriting Machines, of which the following is a specification. i'

My invention relates to typewriting machines and more particularly to indicating mechanism therefor. i

lVhen writ-ing onindex cards,` filling in partly printed blanks andthe like it has often been either desirable or necessary to resort to line spacing dierent from that provided for by the ordinary line spacing mechanism. lt has been customary heretofore in such cases to throw the regular line spacing mechanism out of operation and to throw the sQ-called fractional line spacing thereby enabling the operator to movethe platen any desired distance for line spacin and to effect a spacing not provided for y the regular line Spacing mechanism. But in such cases it is v to rely on the eye or judgment of the operator to secure a uniform spacing between the lines.

One of the main objects ot' my invention is to overcome this disadvantage and to provide simple and efficient means to assist in securing a uniform spacing between lines under the conditions such as those pointed out above.

To the above and other ends which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in so much of the upper portion of a typewriting machine as is necessary to show my invention 1n lts application thereto; the

section being taken on the line wof Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrow at said line. Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary detail front elevation of one form of a device embodying my invention, a part of the machine on whlch it is mounted and a portion` of the platen. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail fragmentary lan view showing the left-y hand end of t e carriage and the parts carried thereby; this view disclosing so much of the step-by-step and fractional line spacing mechanism as is necessary' for consideration in the present case. Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of another form of device embodying my invention. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the same on an enlarged scale, the view heilig taken on the line y-- y of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrow at said line.

I have shown my invention applied to a Monarch visible or front-strike typewriting machine, but it should be understood that the invention is applicable to typewritinO machines of a different character.

Ihe corner posts 1 of the machine support a top plate 2 from which upwardly extending standards 3 project. The standards 3 have fixed guide rails 4 secured thereto by screws 5. The inner faces of the guide rails 4 are grooved at 6 to receive anti-friction balls` 7 which likewise cooperate with grooved uide ways 8 that form part of a rear carriage bar 9. At each end of the bar 8 is a forwardly projecting arm 10 in which a platen shaft 11 is journaled, the platen shaft. carryinga rotary platen 12.v The cross bar 9 and end bars or armsl() constitute a platen frame or carriage su ported on the fixed guide rails 4 through tie antifriction balls 7 and ada ted to travel from side to side of the machine. Forwardly extending Aspring arms 13 are secured to the carriage by screws 14 and su port a scale plate designated as a Whole y the -reference numeral 15. The scale lplate in the present instance is bent as represented vin Fig. 2, and two scales 1G, 17 are provided on the face thereof. A type bar segment 18 is arranged in any suitable manner to be shifted vertically to change the case position of the types and carries ulpwnrdly and rearwardly striking segment ly arranged type bars 19 pivoted thereto at 20, the forward ends of said type bars resting on a pad 21 which is su ported by arms 22 Iwhich project forwar ly from the type bar segment. A link 23 is pivoted at 24 to each type bar and is connected at its rear end with the usual type bar actuating mechanism, such as that employed, for instance, in the Monarch machine. The mechanism thus far described constitutes parts of the Monarch typewriting machine, and the description thereof is suicient to afford an understanding of my invention in its application thereto.

The combined card guide,` indicating and pressure device and its su ports are secured to a vertically disposed rame late 25 attached todepending lugs 26 on t e top plate of the machine by screws 27. A support ing bracket 28, formed at each side near its top with `a forwardly turned ear 29, is attached to the frame plate 25 by shouldered screws 30. The ears 29 are perforated to receive a short rod 31 which is fixed in the bracket 28 and serves to pivotally support the pressure and indicating devices which are represented as a whole by the numeral 32 and will, for convenience, be generally referred to hereinafter as a pressure device or card guide. The card guide 32 is preferably formed of sheet metal in one piece and generally resembles in shape the capital letter H having a cross bar 33, two upwardly extending fingers 34 and two downwardly extending ai'ms 35. Each of the upwardly extending fingers comprises a narrow resilient portion 36, the upper edge of each finger being elongated and provided with a horizontally disposed letter-space scale 37 divided according to the scales 16 and 17 or, in other words, the scale marks are a letterspace distance apart. The cross bar 33 is provided with an 4indicator or pointer 38 which is adapted to coperate with the lower or carriage scale on the scale bar 15 and the ends of the'cross bar which project laterally somewhat beyond the arms 35 are bent rearwardly, forming tabs or ears 39 which are perforated to permit the free passage of the short rod 31 which serves to pivotally support the card uide. A wire spring 40'is coiled around t e rod 31, one end of said spring abutting the bracket 28 and the other end pressing against the card guide below the pivot 31, the arrangement eing such that the spring tends to exert a constant pressure on the card guide so thaty the fingers 34 are pressed lightly against the frontof the platen. A locking` plate 41 preferably formed of sheet meta and having forwardly turned or bent contact portions 42 is slidably and frictionally mounted on the bracket 28 below the card line and the upper edge 47 thereo machine and is located centrally thereof, be-

ing pivoted on the `rod 31 in such a way that fingers 34, as they rest against the platen, have a slight forward inclination. When the locking plate 41 is in the lowermost position the pressure device or card'guide is pressed a ainst the platen by the force exerted by t e sprin 40, andserves to exert a gentle pressure or properly controllin ordinary paper or the like when it is fe through the machine in the usual manner.

When it is desired to write on cards, en velops, thick paper and the like the locking plate 41 is slid upwardly by means of finger pieces 44 to the position shown in Fig. 1. As the locking plate moves upwardly the contact portions 42 will engage cams 45 on the arms 35, camming said arms toward the operator and forcing the lingers 34 into positive engagement with the platen. The card device thus fan generally described is somewhat similar t that employed in the Monarch machine a full described in the patentto George A. Seib, o. 831,382, dated May 22nd, 1906.

In accordance with my present invention the upper edge 46 of the left-hand finger 34 constitutes a line indicator that registers with the printing line indicated by the dotted line a, as in Fig. 2, and registers with the bottom of the characters printed by said line as shown in Fig. 2, whereas the arm 34, which is situated on the opposite side of the printing point indicated by the comma in Fig. 2, extends across the printing constitutes a line indicator situated at a predetermined line space distance from the printing line. The distance between the parallel iiidicating edges 46 and 47 is determined by the character of the lspacing desired between lines. I f desired, the construction may be made with the two arms 34 formed from one piece with the edges 46 and '47 situated the desired distance apart in accordance with the character of spacing desired or the arm atthe right-hand side of the printing point may be made in two pieces, as shown in Fig'. 4, the member 34l in this construction being adjustable on the member 36 so that the indicating edge 47 may be adjusted relatively to the" printing line indicator 46 to provide for any character of spacing desired. In this construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the arln or member 34 is preferably struck up trom a piece of sheet metal and is provided with clamping arms t8 which are bent around the edges of the member Bti and frirtionally hold the member 3l in any position to which it may be moved on the member 36, a linger piece 4t) projecting .from the member 34 to facilitate the vertical adjustment thereof. Otherwise the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is lsimilar to that. illustrated in Figs. 1 and f2.

When writing on index cards` filling in partly printed blanks and the like, it is often desirable or necessary by reason of the spacing on the cards or blanks to resort to line spacing!` different from that provided for by the ordinary line spacing mechanisni, which, in the present instance, comprises a line spacing ratchet wheel 50 forming part of a platen head at the left-hand end of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3, and a coperating line spacing pawl 51 which is actuated by a finger piece 52 operatively connected with the line spacing pawl. I have shown in Fig. 3 the fractional line spacing mechanism employed in the Monarch machine which con'iprises a finger piece 53 connected to a sleeve 5t which carries at its inner end a disk 55. A detent roller 5G is carried by a spr: ig 57 secured to* the frame of the machine by a screw 58. lhis detent roller normally bears against the teeth of the line Spacing ratchet wheel when the ordinary line spacing mechanism is in operation and a bearing for the pivot of the detent. roller rests against the outer face ol the disk 55 and is adapted to cooperate with a cam groove 592m the outer face ot the disk. By moving the linger piece 53 to the position shown in Fig. 3 the detent roller is cammed out of Contact with the teeth of the line spacing ratchet wheel and the pressure of the spring 57 is exerted against the disk 55 which in turn bearsagainsta fricion washer 60 which is pressed against the end of the platen, constituting a friction me: ns for affording a line spacing morement of the platen to any desired extent by eitler ofthe finger wheels Gl and which may be ein.4 ployed by the operator for irregular line spacing.

In the operation of the devices a card or work sheet c is inserted in the niachne and fed forward in the usual manner. It may be assumed that this work sheet is not provided With lines and that it is desire( to ef ect a line spacingr thereof which d( es not correspond with the line spacing whizh ea'n be ettected by the ordinary line siacing mechanism, or that lines are ruled in the cards or Work sheet, and that the distance between these lines does not. correspond with any line spacing which can be effected with the ordinary line. spacing;r mechanism and that. the distance between the indicators 46 and 4.7 corresponds to the spacing between lines which it is desired to secure. 'lhen the finger piece 53 will be moved to the position shown in Fig. Il so as to throw tht` ordinary line spacing mechanism out of operation. The platen is then turned until the proper portion ofthe work sheet where it is desired to begin the writing,T is brought into register with the printing;r line. indicator lli and the tirst line indicated by thel dotted line b mayr be written. The operator then turns the platen until the printed line is brought into register with thc line indicator 47 and procecds to write vthe second line. After 'this line is conu'ileted the card or work sheet may bc set for the third line of writing by merely turning the platen until the line indicator 47 is in register with thtl second written line. Then the operator may proc-ced to write the third line'anrl so on indefinitely, the lines being properly spaced apart and the indieatinp,r mechanism assuring, with thc me4 chunical accuracy. the proper .spacingr be` tween lines, affordingr a neat appearance in the work produced and no reliance on the, eye or judgment of the operator is necessary, except to see when the lines are in register with the indicators to secure proper spacing between lilies.

In certain Classes of card index work a line is written on a` card and the card is removed until some tuture time when it is reintroduced into the machine and a second line is written just below and close to the first. line. The card then removed and at some future time it is again inserted in the machine and a third line is written and so on until the card is lled. Usually the lines are spaced closer together than is provided for by the regular line spacing mechanism. By my present` invention this class of work can not only be more rapidly ettected than heretofore'but the spacing between the various lines on each card and the spacingl on the various cards will be uniform, thus greatly enhancing the neatness in their ap ppal-ance.. The spacing between the two arms 34 1s such that. it constitutes in effect a, printing point indicator, the printing point` as heretofore stated, being represented by the comma in Fig. 2 and the scale 37 indieating the letter space positions along the line of print. The parallel line indicators 46 and 47 may be. properly spaced apart by forming the edge of the indicator 4'( in the first instance at the proper distance from the line indicator 46 when the same character of spacing is to be provided for all the work to be produced. However, I prefer to employ an adjustable line indicator 47 of the character shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in order that the indicator 47 may beadjusted according to any character of spacing which it may be desired to effect. The indicating devices are also especially convenient in making corrections and alterations, and from certain aspects of my invention the indicating devices ma be considered apart from the paper guidlng and feeding devices and regarded solely as indicating means, whereas from certain other aspects the indicating devices may be regarded as parts of the card guide or paper feedin devlces.

It will be understood that y reason of the fact that the arm which carries the indicator 47 crosses the printing line the cards or work sheets will be efficiently pressed against the platen at the printing line and will be efficiently directed to the usual paper fingers 61".

When I refer in the accompanying claims to a. fixed indicator I mean an indicator which is carried by a fixed portion of the machine as distinguished from one that is carried by and travels with the carriage.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a line space indicator having indicating means registering with the printing line and having indicatingmeans situated a line space distance from said rinting line, and means for effecting a re ative adjustfment between said indicating means.

2. In a Vtypewriting machine, the combination of a line space indicator carried by a fixed portion of the machine and having indicatingmeans registering with the printing A.ne and also having indicating means situated a line space distance from the rinting line, and means for effecting a re ative adjustment between said indicating means,

3. In a -front strike typewriting machine, the combination'of a carriage, a platen carried thereby, indicating means fixed against movement with the carriage and'arranged adjacent to the printing point and coperative with the paper to indicate both letter and line space distances.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of an indicator having two parallel indicating edges, one of said ed es registerin with the printing line, an means for a Ording a relative adjustment betWeen said indicating edges.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, an indicator coperating with the platen or the paper thereon and carried by a fixed portion of the machine and having parallel indicating edges, one of said edges registerin with the rinting line, and means for affor in an a'justment between said indicating e ges.

6. In a typewritin machine, the combination of two relative y adjustable line indicators carried by a fixed portion of the machinez one arranged on each side of the printing point.

7. In a typewritin machine, the combination of two relative y adjustable line indicators carried by a fixed portion of the machine, one arranged on each side of the printing point and each of said line indicators having a letter spacing scale.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, and two relatively adjustable line indicators which are carrled by a fixed portion of the machine and coperate with the platen at each side of and adjacent to the printing point.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, a printing line indicator that co erates with the platen and registers Witht eprinting line,a second line indicator that coperates with the platen .and extends across the printing line and -indicates a line position at a predetermined distance from the rinting line, and means for effecting an adjustment between said indicators.

'10. In a visible typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, and a combined printing point and printing line indicator carried by a fixed portion of the machine and sprin pressed toward the platen, vsaid indicator aving indicating means normally in register with the rintir@ line and situated at the left of and) adjacent to the .-prjlnting point, and also having indicating.I means situated -to the right of and adjacent to the printing oint and crossing the printing line, said ast mentioned means indicating a line position adjacent to the rinting line, and means for effecting a re ative adjustment between said indicating means situated to the right and left of the printing point.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, a card guide coperating therewith, said guide having a printing line indicator and an indicator that is adapted to register with a previously written line when the line indicator is in register with the printing line, and means for effecting a relative adjustment between said indicators.

12. In a front strike typewriting machine in which the rinting instrumentalities are adapted to swing upwardly and rearwardly and tostrike against the front face of the platen, the combination with the platen; of a card guide carried by a fixed part of the machine below the rnting` point, and extending upwardly t erefrom and`adaptedv to guide a card upwardly to thejprinting point, said guide comprising two upwardly' extending arms,one longer than the other, the shorter arlnheing arranged to the left of and adjacent t0 the printing point and the upper edge thereof registering with the printing line and the longer arm extending u above the printing line on the right 0f tige printing point an adjacent thereto and terminating 1n an upper registering edge a line spa distance from the printing line indicator, said arms copereting with a card on opposite sides of the printing point and 10 one at and the other above the printing line,

and the types being adapted to print between said arms.

Signed at Omaha, in the county of'Douglas, and State of Nebraska, this 25th day of August, A.. D. 1906.

VERNE WAYMAN MILLER.

Witnesses:

FRANK Lnsnm, J. C. DEARMONT. 

